Ask Hospital for Help with Bill

If you can't afford the Emergency Room bill, contact the hospital for an appointment with the billing department, taking along your last two years tax returns and evidence of your monthly expenses. Many hospitals will either greatly reduce the fees or eliminate them altogether once they can review your circumstances.

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If there are still fees to be paid, then structure a payment plan directly with the hospital and stick to it; this will help to avoid collections from appearing and damaging your credit rating. Keep all receipts in the event you have to prove your payments to a credit reporting agency.